Re: Elvis Presley: Go, Cat, Go (1956 article)

Man, I almost couldn't get past that beautiful cover girl. Does the issue identify her?

A careful look at the article by James Poling proves his reporting dates from March 17 at CBS Studio 50 in New York, and March 21 and Presley's appearance in Lexington, NC. The Paramount screen test (late March) is also confirmed. Poling's work is detailed, dedicated and in general quite accurate. He clearly spoke with Elvis the band, management, even friend Red West and cousin Gene Smith.

The bit Elvis relates about losing his clothes in Charlotte (February 10) is new to me: "And in Charlotte the other night they got me down to my britches, and got one cuff off of them, before the police got me in the car."

It appears that all the photos were supplied by the wonderful Al Wertheimer. Is there a credit for him in the magazine's early pages? The photo (March 17) at CBS-TV in New York with Elvis greeting Anne Fulchino, publicist for RCA's Pop Record Division, and Poling is interesting, as it is (IIRC) uncropped from previous versions:

560324_CBS-TV New York_Wertheimer_01.JPG

This one below is also new, although I do not know who the other two men are, probably NY newspaper writers:

560324_CBS-TV New York_Wertheimer_02.JPG

A big reason the article was so well-written: Poling was an accomplished writer whose credits appeared in many magazines on many subjects, like Esquire, Collier's and Sports Illustrated. He also wrote a civil rights piece so highly regarded it was included in an acclaimed anthology:

Thank you for sharing this article from the July 1956 issue of Pageant. There's a lot to be had, if you know where to look.

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Last edited by drjohncarpenter on Thu Aug 07, 2014 3:10 am, edited 2 times in total.

Re: Elvis Presley: Go, Cat, Go (1956 article)

Tue Dec 31, 2013 11:16 pm

drjohncarpenter wrote:Thank you for sharing this article from the July 1956 issue of Pageant.

You´re welcome. And thanks for the extra info on the writer.

drjohncarpenter wrote:It appears that all the photos were supplied by the wonderful Al Wertheimer. Is there a credit for him in the magazine's early pages?

Yes. Photo credits are on page 162. "Pp. 6-11, Alfred Wertheimer"

drjohncarpenter wrote:Man, I almost couldn't get past that beautiful cover girl. Does the issue identify her?

Her name is Judy Foster.From the article: "She traveled to New York instead, and got a job dancing in the hit show Fanny. There, ace discoverer Huntington Hartford saw her and propelled her right back to Hollywood, where she is now a featured singer in a show called Joy Ride."

Re: Elvis Presley: Go, Cat, Go (1956 article)

Tue Dec 31, 2013 11:19 pm

Excellent post, thank you.

I'm amused that Red West wasn't tough enough for the job ...

Re: Elvis Presley: Go, Cat, Go (1956 article)

Wed Jan 01, 2014 12:00 am

The fool wrote:

drjohncarpenter wrote:Thank you for sharing this article from the July 1956 issue of Pageant.

You´re welcome. And thanks for the extra info on the writer.

drjohncarpenter wrote:It appears that all the photos were supplied by the wonderful Al Wertheimer. Is there a credit for him in the magazine's early pages?

Yes. Photo credits are on page 162. "Pp. 6-11, Alfred Wertheimer"

drjohncarpenter wrote:Man, I almost couldn't get past that beautiful cover girl. Does the issue identify her?

Her name is Judy Foster.From the article: "She traveled to New York instead, and got a job dancing in the hit show Fanny. There, ace discoverer Huntington Hartford saw her and propelled her right back to Hollywood, where she is now a featured singer in a show called Joy Ride."

This is a rare souvenir program from the out-of-town tryouts of the obscure musical revue "JOY RIDE". (The show opened in January 1956 at the Huntington Hartford Theatre in Los Angeles and closed in Chicago, failing to arrive in New York.) ...

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Re: Elvis Presley: Go, Cat, Go (1956 article)

Wed Jan 01, 2014 1:20 am

Let's start the Judy Foster Appreciation Society !

Judy Foster 1.JPG

Judy Foster 2.JPG

Judy Foster 3.jpg

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Re: Elvis Presley: Go, Cat, Go (1956 article)

Wed Jan 01, 2014 1:39 am

Mister Moon wrote:Let's start the Judy Foster Appreciation Society !

Maybe I should not have posted the front cover.

Re: Elvis Presley: Go, Cat, Go (1956 article)

Wed Jan 01, 2014 1:47 am

The fool wrote:

Mister Moon wrote:Let's start the Judy Foster Appreciation Society !

Maybe I should not have posted the front cover.

It's very interesting to have it to put Elvis' article in an historical context. Thanks for posting it !

Re: Elvis Presley: Go, Cat, Go (1956 article)

Wed Jan 01, 2014 12:38 pm

Great topic, and what a way to start the New Year! Thanks to all.

I'm really amazed to see how the incredible flood of magazines you share here just keeps on going, The fool. Your vintage mags (especially from the 50's) have become the main reason why I have been visiting FECC in the past year.

My sincere thanks for ALL your mags and scans!

Re: Elvis Presley: Go, Cat, Go (1956 article)

Thu Jan 02, 2014 10:52 am

Thank you very much for your kind words, Bob.

Re: Elvis Presley: Go, Cat, Go (1956 article)

Thu Jan 02, 2014 12:34 pm

GREAT magazine, wonderful way to start a new year! Thank you very much and Happy New Year, my friend, you're always here for us with all these gems!

Note: ALL the photos are from March 17, not from March 24. The "gal" from page 10 is Anne Fulchino, the RCA publicist - or looks like Anne, becouse in embrace photo she appear more taller than before... Maibe she put on some high shoes, i don't know.

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Re: Elvis Presley: Go, Cat, Go (1956 article)

Fri Jan 03, 2014 5:03 am

Bob-Holland wrote:Great topic, and what a way to start the New Year! Thanks to all.

I'm really amazed to see how the incredible flood of magazines you share here just keeps on going, The fool. Your vintage mags (especially from the 50's) have become the main reason why I have been visiting FECC in the past year.

My sincere thanks for ALL your mags and scans!

What about Rob?

Re: Elvis Presley: Go, Cat, Go (1956 article)

Fri Jan 03, 2014 5:08 am

hilton22000 wrote:GREAT magazine, wonderful way to start a new year! Thank you very much and Happy New Year, my friend, you're always here for us with all these gems!

Note: ALL the photos are from March 17, not from March 24. The "gal" from page 10 is Anne Fulchino, the RCA publicist - or looks like Anne, because in embrace photo she appear more taller than before... Maybe she put on some high shoes, i don't know.

You are correct on both observations.

Al Wertheimer was not there on March 24, 1956. And he was friends with Anne, who hired him in the first place:

Sitting in the office of his Upper West Side town house, its walls papered with blowups and posters of his now historic Elvis pictures, his desk cluttered with Elvis tchotchkes, and drinking black coffee from a “Shake, Rattle & Roll” mug, Wertheimer, a peppy 79, relives his first fateful encounter with Elvis. “On March 17, 1956, I meet Anne backstage at CBS Studio 50, which is where the Dorsey show was telecast from—it’s now the David Letterman theater. She takes me to this dressing room, and I see this young man with a middle-aged man. Anne says, ‘Elvis, I want you to meet Al Wertheimer. He’s going to be taking some pictures.’ And Elvis says, ‘Yeah, sure, fine.’ He’s preoccupied with something. It turns out the other man was a ring salesman. One or two weeks earlier, Elvis had ordered a good-luck ring. It was a horseshoe ring, diamond-encrusted around the horseshoe, with a horse’s head going across the center. Early bling. So he had just taken delivery, and the salesman was now trying to sell him another ring. I became a fly on the wall. I was happy to do that, because I had trained myself along the lines of available-light photography. Later on, I coined a phrase, because I got beyond available-light photography to available-darkness photography. I was always trying to understand what motivates people through body language and the way they relate to each other physically. In those days, I wasn’t that intellectual about it. I just did it instinctively. My feeling was that the darker you can get a decent photograph—I mean in a dark enough place—the closer you’ll get to the real personality. In Elvis’s case, I didn’t know what it was, but I felt he was charismatic.